What Everything Means
by Illusions of Dreaming
Summary: During one of their missions, Will Treaty was poisoned, now the aftereffects of the drug threatens Will's place with the rangers. Will Will survive this emotional shock and how will Halt help his former apprentice through this hurdle? Oneshot.


**Jan 17th, 2013  
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**A/N:** Wow! C': I'm glad people still read and like this one-shot! Since I still get guests coming through here I may as well edit the grammar here a bit for better reading! Thanks for the continuous support and please enjoy this better edited version of _What Everything Means_.**  
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* * *

**Prologue**

Dark room, unstable lighting and blurry sight.

A nurse rushed in and out of the small, crowded room, carrying trays full of sweat, blood and vomit. A healer knelt beside a thrashing patient screaming out in pain, while two horrified rangers stood by the side, unable to do anything to ease the other's pain.

"Can you save him?!" A grim faced ranger growled, eyes burning, reflecting with the deep emotions crashing within him as he glanced at the healer and back to the young man strapped on the bed.

"Can you?!" Desperation crawled into his voice, as the patient screamed again.

"I'll try my best, but the poison is strong." The healer muttered grimly as he bent over to hold the thrashing man from injuring himself further while having an attack.

"You must save him! You must!" Halt grabbed the healer's shoulders, wrenching him from the patient before Gilan rushed towards him and pulled the antagonized ranger aside.

"Calm down! Lucas won't be able to concentrate with you breathing down his back!" the younger ranger hissed as he pinned his former mentor to the wall.

The healer gave Gilan a grateful glance before turning back to the pain filled screams of Will Treaty.

"He can't die! He-"

"Will Treaty _will not_ die! Halt get a hold of yourself! He needs us and you can't lose it now! Not now, not when your presence is needed most!" Gilan growled as he fought with Halt's struggles.

Then all too suddenly the older ranger relaxed in his grip, groaning as if he's in physical pain and slumped down the wall onto the floor. He covered his tear-filled face as he shuddered in his palms, muttering words that were lost to the screams filling the room."It's my fault, my fault. I wasn't careful enough."

Gilan smashed his fist against the wall, not caring if the wall bruised his knuckles as he choked back on a sob.

"No! It was an accident; we'd let our guards down. But there was another assassin, if Will didn't leap in to push me aside… I … who knew that arrow held so much poison!" Gilan choked on his words, smashing the wall again before bending down to kneel beside Halt. Another scream pierced the air and both rangers flinched as if they'd been physically slapped. It was all too much to bear.

"Halt, Will needs us now." The ranger whispered, uncontrolled sorrow running down his face. "We can wallow in our sorrows later, but he needs us this very minute. You have to believe in Lucas's healing skills, you have to believe in Will's strong spirit, trust that it will bring Will past another crisis. Keep it together, Will still needs his former mentor to tell him he's stupid for taking that arrow for stupid me. He _will_ survive."

The old ranger raised his head; meeting Gilan's eyes for the first time ever since they arrived in the room and slowly began to collect himself. Gilan wiped away his own tears and both rangers stood up to walk back towards the cruel scene where Will Treaty thrashed around like a wild animal.

Blood spurted everywhere as his wild thrashing rips his arrow wound wider.

"Hold him down!" Lucas yelled over Will's flailing and the two rangers shared a glance, drawing strength from the presence of the other, and did as told. Halt strong arms held Will's arms down while Gilan held his legs down. Given a chance to operate without Will's limbs trying to strangle him, the healer bent down and began working as quickly as he could, trying to save Araluen's young hero.

Halt murmured reassuring words that were lost to the delirious young male as he held him down, biting back his own cries when Will lets out another strangled cry of agony. But because he cared, Halt the ranger will hold on, because Will will definitely survive this.

* * *

**What Everything Means**

Will survived the operation that night, which came as a relief to Halt and Gilan and the rest of the ranger corps. Halt's room became his make-shift rehabilitation center and even though he's recovering steadily from the poison, the young ranger had to cope with the aftereffects of the drug.

According to Will, they weren't exactly _pleasant_.

Confined to Halt's living quarters until he's fully recovered, being the ever curious and easily bored ranger he was, Will Treaty couldn't stand staying immobile in Halt's bed for another second. Slowly getting out of bed and careful not to pull on his wound, he slipped quietly out of the room and right into the living room where a crossed arm, grumpy ranger stood in the middle.

"I thought you'd come out sooner or later." Halt said gruffly, giving Will the evil eye, which his former apprentice shook off easily with a nonchalant shrug.

"You know me too well." The brown haired ranger flashed his former mentor a grin that was returned with a deeper frown from Halt.

"Get back inside, you're still recovering." The older ranger commanded, glaring at Will.

"I'm fine now Halt, really." Despite his attempt at reassuring his former mentor, Halt seemed as displeased as ever, if not a little bit more now. As minutes passed with Halt glaring at Will and Will smiling uncomfortably, the younger ranger finally gave in.

"Fine. But let me grab a quick meal and stretch my muscles." He offered with a reluctant sigh, silently relieved when Halt didn't rebuke his proposal.

When both rangers were seated at the table, one with his pile of reports and the other with a bowl of fresh leaves (yuck). Will couldn't help but notice the lack of coffee on the table.

"I get deprived of the only thing I drink too?" the ranger groaned as he played with his salad.

"There's water." Was Halt's reply, his former mentor obviously prepared for this discussion.

"I've been drinking water for days now." Will murmured through a mouthful of vegetables.

"And water you'll be drinking until you get better."

"But-"

"No."

Will sighed in resignation; he hated it when Halt goes into his uncompromising mode. Luckily, he could always wait for-

"And no, I already hid the coffee stock somewhere else. Don't even think of searching for it while I'm out."

Will shot Halt a hate filled glare as he spooned another mouthful of fresh leaves in his mouth again. Life isn't fair.

"But you can't drink coffee either then." Will shot back, pointing his utensil at the grim faced ranger.

Halt slowly lowered the report he was reading, revealing the scathing glare of his eyes.

"And whose fault is that?"

Will seemed to be delighted at the fact he won't be the only one suffering from the lack of caffeine in his system, but he was smart enough to compose his expression to hide his amused smirk.

"You know, a cup of coffee won't kill-" whatever the young ranger was about to say was cut off suddenly when all the ranger could focus on was the foreboding chill that claimed his right hand.

Fear washed over the sick ranger as he recognized the tell tale signs of another attack. His right hand was now frozen, numbed without feeling, unable to hold its utensil as it clattered uselessly on the floor, the cursed chill spreading at an alarming rate towards the rest of his body.

"Will?" came the questioning of his former mentor, but was lost to the ranger -all he could focus on was the fear and the cold.

Then came the shivering, a slight buzz that grew violent by the second until the young ranger was lost in the world of shaking, unable to control his own flailing body. He recognized those strangled yelps as his own, faintly registered the crashing of a chair and then finally Halt's arms around him.

While his body twisted in pain, Halt's lips moved quickly, uttering words he couldn't hear. Unable to do anything but choke on his own cries of agony, Will felt the overwhelming pressure of his uselessness and the cruel claws of loneliness crush him from the inside. Even as his father figure held him close, he couldn't feel him, nor could Halt save him from the utter darkness of unconsciousness and despair.

x x x

Halt was by his bed where Will laid. He sighed unhappily, wondering how quickly a peaceful atmosphere can be destroyed so easily. One minute Will was joking at the table like any ordinary day, the next he's writhing on the ground in torturous agony.

_How painful it must be…_ Halt thought as he smoothed the boy's hair. Every time he had to bear witness to one of Will's attacks, it stung at his heart to feel so useless, unable to help reduce the torture Will was forced to go through. If he could, he would rather be the one shot and poisoned, he'd take the torture and pain for Will, he'd do anything to prevent this event from ever happening. Will's still too young to be crippled…

Halt shook his head, shaking off the thought with some disdain; he shouldn't give up yet. Lucas did say Will had a chance of fully recovering from the poison even if it could take quite some time.

Halt took hold of the boy's cold hand, holding it within his palms as he tried to rub some warmth into it.

"Hang in there, Will." The older ranger murmured softly and was surprised when the hand within his hold twitched ever so slightly.

"Getting sentimental now aren't we?" the young man rasped softly, opening his bloodshot eyes.

If Will didn't look like he'd just died and came back, Halt would've surely cuffed the young man's head for his witty remark. Instead, the ranger chose to ignore Will's quip and quickly stepped back to give room for Will to sit up slowly.

"How are you feeling now?" Halt asked warily, his grim expression masking the concern he's feeling for his former apprentice.

"Felt like I got thrown off a cliff." The sick ranger muttered, "Twice." He added as he stretched his aching body.

"Shouldn't be surprised, you went down pretty hard." Halt muttered softly, kneeling beside Will once more. "Is your head ok?"

"What about my head?" Will asked with surprise as he shifted over to face Halt. "Wo." The younger ranger gasped as the scenery before him swayed sickeningly, losing his balance before Halt grabbed hold of his arm and pulled him right again.

"Thanks." Will murmured quickly as a new source of pain flashed from his left temple. "Ow."

"You hit the corner of the table as you fell." Halt stated with a matter-of-fact tone.

"… That's nasty." Will whispered as he probed gently at the ugly purple bruise on his left temple, wincing in pain. Inwardly he berated himself for being so weak, adding more injuries to his pain-filled list. What's worse, Halt had to witness the humiliating moment as well, where he was sprawled on the ground, writhing and screaming like some madman.

"I'm sorry."

Halt flinched in surprise; not only was an apology the last thing he'd expected to hear out of Will in this current situation, but that it was filled with such sorrow that for a moment the older ranger was unable to react.

"Don't be." Halt murmured quickly when he recovered, watching carefully for the ranger's reaction. Was Will perhaps feeling guilty for the event? Was that self-pity he saw in those dull looking eyes?

"Am I a bother to you Halt?" Will asked suddenly, another question that stumped and shocked the older ranger as much as the previous statement did. Halt's mouth opened to reply but he quickly clammed it shut, silently cursing Will's directness with delicate topics.

But Halt could see that the boy was feeling insecure, afraid and feeling self-pity for his current state.

_And he shouldn't be._ Halt thought sadly.

"No." Halt replied gently, placing his hand over Will's, earning him a surprised look. "You'll never be a bother to me."

When Will didn't look convinced, the older ranger squeezed his hand gently to physically show Will his support.

"What you did was a courageous thing Will, you saved Gilan's life and everyone else's by warning us. What happened next wasn't what we wanted, but you'll recover. Definitely." And that was about as much empathy Halt could show his former apprentice before the waterworks started. Standing up the ranger walked to the door and paused by the frame.

"Don't trouble yourself with unnecessary thoughts. Rest now." And Halt the ranger, Will's legendary former mentor and as close to a father Will will ever have, departed from the room, leaving Will somewhat comforted as he slipped into his blankets for a well deserved rest.

x x x

Will woke to the singing of morning birds and for a moment, he thought he'd returned to the world of blissful harmony. Then he remembered where he was and _why_ he was there. His mood soured quickly after that.

Tipping his head upwards to look out the window he watched as an eagle soared past. Freedom. It's there, but it's also not here. It's still early in the day, yet it's considered very late for rangers and Will found that he felt vaguely disappointed that Halt didn't wake him up and instead, had let him oversleep.

Confined to Halt's quarters without any tools or living beings for entertainment, all Will could do to pass the time was to let his thoughts wander.

_It was a dark and foggy night; they were tracking a band of assassins that had become a nuisance in Araluen the past few moons. They were stealthily creeping up to them, darting silently from tree to tree, silent as the breeze that grazed past these plains occasionally. The assassins were good, but the rangers were better._

_With a swift hand signal from Halt, all three rangers slipped out from their hiding places and let their arrows lose, darting back under cover to avoid any return shots._

_ There weren't any._

_Now alarmed and under attack from unseen forces, the band of assassins began to diverge separately into their own escape routes. Witnessing the speed and accuracy of their offenders, they decided that splitting apart would be the easiest, if one went down the others gets a chance to escape._

_Now the rangers split, but never too far from each other and always moving parallel to one or the other. Arrows soared through the air, meeting target after target as the rangers skillfully picked out the assassins with skill, experience and trust in each other._

_When the last assassin fell down with a cry, twitching once before slumping into eternal slumber, the three rangers closed in, laughing and patting each other for a good night's work. While they were rejoicing, Will felt a sense of foreboding, something's not right. If memory serves him, that was not the last assassin… _

_Highly trained ears veered to a small sound by the east, spotting an arrow knocked and aimed to spear through Gilan's chest. Will's eyes widened as the assassin let fly it's dart, instincts took over him as he shouted a warning, barely made it in time to push Gilan away before the arrow struck home, lodging itself deep in Will's right arm. The return arrow of Halt was not expected and the last assassin died a surprised death. Both rangers ran to the struck ranger, at first they thought it was a normal arrow; in that case, Will would heal up fine. Until Gilan noticed the purple glint on the arrow tip that the older rangers began to feel worried. Fire like pain ripped through Will's arm and spread quickly to consume the rest of his body, as the pain got worse the night sky seem to collapse in on him…_

And that's all Will could remember of that night. Recalling bad memories seem to agitate the young male as he ripped off his top shirt with frustration, glaring at the bandages that covered his wound. If only he'd been a bit faster in noticing the assassin! If only he'd dodged that arrow! There were so many _ifs_ but there's only one truth.

He should be happy he didn't die that night, he _should be_ proud that he saved Gilan's life, yet, yet… what if, just what _if_! Lucas was wrong, that perhaps the chance to recover was just a lie to make him feel better? He would be crippled forever! He would never be able to wield a bow, ride on Tug or even go on missions with Halt and Horace. His fingers dug painfully into the bandages, digging into raw flesh but he couldn't care less about the pain.

Then he began to shake.

_No. No!_ He screamed mentally as he forced his numbed hands away from his wound, preventing them from causing anymore harm to himself. _No. Not now!_ Desperately, the young ranger scrabbled futilely to sit up as control over his body slowly seeped away.

"Halt!" he gasped, sight blurring up as he cried for help.

"Halt!" he wheezed, clutching his chest as pain burned his heart and the uncontrollable shaking intensified.

"H-help!" his cry was lost to his agonized scream when realization finally crashed onto him.

He's completely alone.

_No! No!_ He cried mentally as tears rushed down his face as he gasped for air that seemed so scarce to him at the moment. His shaking grew worse as his fits turned into wild thrashing, his neck suddenly cracking back, causing the back of his head to hit the bed post. Though he can't feel the pain of the collision, Will could tell by the shock upon impact and the darkness that seeped in that he probably bruised his head badly this time. But before he was lost to the dark, painless world of unconsciousness, Will thought he heard the sound of the cabin door being thrown open.

x x x

The moment Halt stepped into the cabin he knew something had gone horribly wrong. His bow and bags were quickly slipped off and cast away as fear began to gnaw on him.

"Will?" the ranger called out hoarsely, fearing for the worst. He quickly barged into his room and lunged just in time to catch Will's falling body.

"Will!" Halt cried as he tried to steady the shaking boy.

_Not again!_ Halt thought with dread, noticing that the boy had already slipped into unconsciousness, dangerously unaware of his own body's condition.

With some trouble, Halt placed the shaking body back on the bed as he held the two flailing arms down. Though unconscious and possibly unable to feel pain, Will's body arched backwards as another spasm rocked through him, ripping a painful groan from the younger ranger.

"Shhhh…" Halt hushed, fully aware that Will couldn't hear him. "It's alright. I'm here now."

He should've never left. The moment he does, Will was in pain once more. Halt bit his lower lip as he tried to steady Will by forcing his shoulders down. He had wondered why Will's shirt was cast half way across the room when he'd noticed the slight seeping of red underneath Will's bandages. Cursing silently, Halt climbed on the bed to hold the younger man still, hoping that Will's attack would end soon, preventing his injury from reopening.

Another spasm rocked Will's body before finally with a soft groan, the young man's stiff muscles relaxed, slumping down without resistance. The attack was over.

Halt relaxed in his grip as he wiped away the sweat that had gathered on his forehead while wrestling with Will's unconscious body. Absently he picked up Will's shirt and wiped him down as well.

Tired and exhausted to no ends, the older ranger slumped down by the side of the bed, smoothing Will's hair back. His heart clenched from the sound of Will's labored breathing. Even though the young boy was unable to feel much during an attack (or so Will said), it's obvious that it was a very uncomfortable process seeing that his own body was trying to tear itself apart.

"You're a strong ranger, Will." Halt murmured quietly to the unconscious young male.

The attacks had been coming more frequently and more violently and that scared Halt. Instead of recovering steadily like predicted, Will's condition seem to worsen through the passing of days.

But as Gilan said, Halt can't give up hope yet. He needs to keep hope alive to keep Will alive.

With a sigh, the former mentor stood up and walked out his room to get a well-deserved bath.

x x x

It was late at night when Will woke up again. His head felt like it was about to explode from pain and his muscles were feeling quite sore from the previous attack.

It was a peaceful, cool night but Will's heart and emotions were feeling quite heavy, when all of a sudden, tears began flowing out from his eyes as sorrow and pain overcame him.

Pitiful, useless and alone. Those three words surrounded him, plagued his thoughts and claimed his soul.

It's not fair! Why poison, and why him? His head throbbed with pain as the young man hastily wiped away the tears that betrayed his sorrow, grabbing his chest as his heart pounds painfully underneath.

He's a burden to everyone now, he can't go on missions, he can't fire an arrow… he's a burden to Halt.

That thought had stung harsher than he'd expected as more tears formed and threatened to overflow again. He'd always regarded Halt as his best friend and mentor, the father he never knew. If Daniel was still here would he be disappointed with him?

While his father died a hero's death, his son was reduced to a pile of writhing wreck, living the rest of his life as useless baggage. The ache of loss was like a knife to his heart, digging deeper and twisting harder as self-pity pushed it closer to the core. If he's going to live the rest of his life as a useless cripple… he would rather die.

Consumed by his own emotions, his hand snatched the saxe knife by the side and unsheathed the weapon.

The deadly blade gleamed brightly under the moonlight, reflecting the tear streaked face of the brown haired male.

This is the path of freedom without pain, loneliness and pity. The boy gripped the blade tightly as he placed the tip of the knife right above his chest, where his beating heart throbs underneath. Just one stab, and he won't be a burden to anyone anymore… the knife hand raised, pausing slowly as it reached it's highest point, then without second thought, Will plunged down.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Halt's voice boomed from the doorway, shocking the younger male as he glanced up in surprise a second before the older ranger tackled him.

Will screamed in anger and frustration as the knife was wrestled away from his grip and thrown aside, his two hands pinned under Halt's stronger grip.

"Let me go!" The ranger thrashed, his voice cracked as his emotions got the better of him. "Give it back!" he cried in desperation as he tried to wriggle out from under Halt's vise-like grip.

"Are you insane?!" his mentor hissed, grey eyes livid with fury as he glared at his former apprentice.

"What do you think you are doing?!" he snapped as he changed his grip to hold Will's shoulders to shake some sense into his stupid former apprentice.

To think that Will was trying to… The different emotions that rushed past his face when he witnessed Will raising the deadly knife and the despair he felt when he thought he wouldn't make it in time. Halt gnashed his teeth together, livid with anger and frustration at his stupid former apprentice.

"Trying to die, that's what!" Will shot back angrily as he slapped away Halt's arms. Brown eyes met furious grey and for a moment Halt saw the drowning despair and sorrow in the brown orbs before they were quickly torn away.

"I can't stand it anymore… I hate it…" Halt barely caught what Will said as it was barely above the volume of a hushed whisper.

"I'm a damned cripple."

"You'll recover." His former mentor said through his teeth, trying very hard to hide his own uncertainty on this matter as well.

"That's a lie."

Uncomfortable silence stretched on for what felt like an eternity and Will was almost convinced that it's the truth before a stinging slap whipped his head to the side. Shocked and surprised, the teary eyed young ranger looked up to find his mentor _crying_.

Halt never showed his emotions to others, Halt doesn't bawl. So it came to Will as a huge shock when he found tears running down Halt's face.

"You disappoint me."

The three words were uttered without emotions, yet it tore a great big hole in Will's chest. He'd felt his eyes widened at Halt's statement, before realizing this must've been what Halt had felt all the time.

He laughed, a mirthless sound devoid of emotions and feelings. He felt empty, but he was right, Halt _did_ find him a burden, a disappointment.

"I know." He whispered, feeling tears coursing down his face uncontrollably now.

"No you don't!" Halt snapped, pushing the ranger flat on his back as he forced his former apprentice to look at him, to see into his eyes and see the worry and fear for him.

"I'm disappointed that you chose to throw away the life that me and Gilan went through many pains to bring back as if it's nothing of value at all." He snapped, unable to contain his fury and irritation at Will, his fear making him confess what should've been said before.

"It's no longer valuable now." Will whispered sadly.

"That's for me to decide and not you!" Halt hissed, gripping tightly on Will's shoulders, forcing the stubborn boy to face him. "This life you're living is no longer your own property." The grim faced ranger growled, eyes flashing with pain and sadness as he tried to knock some sense into his suicidal friend.

"Me and Gilan took part in saving it, we have as much say as you do in it's value. And _I_ say you can't take your life. Not now, not _ever_!"

"I'm just a burden to you!" Will exploded, pushing back on Halt's shoulders, only to be overpowered by his former mentor again. Unable to physically describe his frustration, the ranger chose to rant instead, breaking down the dam of emotions as words began to tumble out unconsciously.

"I can't go anywhere without falling over. I can't finish my duties or fulfill my roles to the kingdom. I can't ride, or wield my bow or shoot an arrow. I can't hide or capture bandits efficiently, can't explore the wilderness or play in the fields. I can't be a ranger anymore." Will gasped, tears filling the corners of his eyes as the truth of his words dawned on him.

He can't be a ranger anymore.

All his life as a ranger, he had never considered the idea of ever quitting or leaving the ranger corps willingly. Even though he'd wanted to be a warrior at first, the ranger's life slowly rubbed off onto him and he enjoyed it, a lot. He'd never thought how much it would pain him, if he was denied of his Oakleaf symbol.

"What does being a ranger mean to you?" Halt asked slowly, his voice dropping down a few levels and his expression unfathomable.

"Everything!" Will cried out.

"And what does everything mean to you?!" Halt yelled angrily, shocking his former apprentice to silence.

By Gorlog's beard, Will was stupid _and _stubborn, Halt thought angrily as he stood up suddenly and walked away from the bed. To think that he thought Will would understand, perhaps he should've just strapped the boy onto the bed from the beginning-

"It means you."

Halt paused in his step in surprise, turning around to face the teary eyed boy as he continued softly.

"It means Horace, George, Gilan, Crowley, Erik, Evanlyn, Jenny, Alyss and Tug... It means staying with everyone." Will choked as tears ran down his face again. The young male looked up to meet Halt's eyes,

"I'm scared, Halt. I'm scared of being alone." He whispered.

A second later, the boy found himself wrapped in Halt's strong embrace as his mentor held him tight. This simple action was the last key to Will's inner conflicts as the boy finally broke down and sobbed quietly into Halt's comforting shoulder.

"I..I'm.. sorry.. Halt." The boy hiccupped in between his crying. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He apologized again and again as Halt stayed silent, gently rubbing his back.

"I'm afraid Halt, that everyone will leave me. I'm so scared of being alone by myself, everyone will leave me because I'm so weak." Will whispered as he buried his face in Halt's cloak, concealing the tears running down his face.

"Shhh…." His mentor hushed gently, "We're not going anywhere Will."

"No, not yet." Will hiccupped as he continued, "But..but.. maybe.."

"Will." Halt said firmly as he held the ranger apart by his shoulders to meet the younger ranger's eyes. "We're here, always by your side. I will never leave my… son alone, and you're the closest thing to a son I'll ever have Will. You'll never be a burden to me. So trust me Will, trust me that I know what I'm doing and that I'll protect you from harm, always."

Halt had no idea what had goaded him into his confession, he was never one to freely or easily confess his feelings. But sensing how Will needed him, telling Will the truth seemed right at the time. Halt definitely felt better, finally able to tell someone his feelings towards his former apprentice. _The son I never had._

He watched as Will relaxed in his hold and leaned towards him, instinctively the older ranger placed his arms around the brown haired boy as he held him close, giving him the comfort he really needs. Though the boy clung onto him like some desperate animal, Halt knew that the fear the young male held was not something that can be cured overnight.

"Thank you." Came the whisper from Will, muffled by the warm coat he's snuggled against. Halt probably didn't know, but hearing the words his mentor said, relieved him of his worries of being a burden. _Halt cares._ He thought as the drowsiness of sleep began to creep in. He tried to fight it back, to stay longer in the world of consciousness within Halt's embrace and slow rocking. For a moment fearing that Halt would disappear once he closed his eyes, but when strong arms tightened lightly around him, Will relaxed.

He shouldn't have to worry, because Halt would never leave him. He'd long treated Will as his own son and Will himself, had long thought Halt as his

_Father_… Will thought silently before he slipped into the first dreamless sleep he had in months.

* * *

**Epilogue**

This was the second time in his life, Will had seen this part of the forest so lively before; the first being the ceremony where he received his silver Oakleaf.

This was his recovering party, a party held just to celebrate his recovery process from the poison. The attacks rarely came to visit now and he's once more fit enough to resume some light shooting practices and slow riding with Tug. All in all, it was great news for all of Araluen to hear.

Nearly all of his best friends were here to celebrate and Will felt touched by it. His eyes widened when beautiful Alyss swayed over elegantly, capturing his eyes with her every movement until she tapped him lightly on the shoulders to remind him not to stare.

"Oh hi, Alyss." Will stumbled, grinning awkwardly in which his beautiful friend replied with a genuine smile.

"Congratulations on your recovery, it won't be long until you will be out there chasing bandits again." Alyss smiled, her hands instinctively seeking the male's larger hands.

"It'll be hard to schedule a meeting with you and chat so peacefully without you running off mid-sentence. Sometimes I think I'd prefer you strapped on your bed." Alyss winked, causing Will to fidget nervously.

"Alyss.." he started before the courier pecked him quickly on the cheeks.

"It's a joke Will." Alyss laughed, noticing the red hue that had settled over the ranger's face.

"..of course." Will stuttered, fully aware of the heat gathering on his face.

"Everyone, it's time to eat cake!" the loud boisterous voice of Jenny echoed across the clearing.

Smiling, Alyss held Will's hand and together they advanced to the long table placed in the middle of the clearing where everyone seated themselves.

Alyss sat next to his left while Horace and Evanlyn conveniently placed themselves on his right. Gilan gave him a wave before seating himself right next to Jenny (after he'd _convinced_ George away) and Halt took the seat opposite of him, giving him a brief nod of acknowledgement.

"Attention please!" Jenny stood up as she cleared her throat to pull everyone's attention to herself.

"We're gathered here today to celebrate Will surviving yet another crisis! We're here today not only to congratulate but also to give thanks to all those that helped and supported him in his time of need. So thank you." Jenny winked at a particularly flushed ranger who disliked the extra attention drawn to him.

"Now without further ado, let's eat!" Jenny ended her announcement as everyone applauded and began to dig in.

"Jenny's good." Will noted with amusement as he spooned some cake in his mouth.

"She likes attention." Alyss replied with a chuckle, "Especially, _his_ attention." She smiled glancing towards their ward mate who was currently having a great time joking around with Gilan.

"I'm glad everyone came." The young ranger whispered, hiding a small grin.

"Will, no one would miss this party, even if it costs them their lives." Horace burped from his right, making Alyss raise an eyebrow at him and Horace just shrugged nonchalantly.

"I'm a warrior with no manners." He chuckled, emphasizing his statement with another small burp and earned a punch from Evanlyn.

"Thank you." Will smiled, turning back to his food.

A shudder ran up his arm and his fork dropped from his hand.

Will knew what would come next and he felt uncomfortable that it had to come at such an untimely manner. But it's not something he could control, not ever.

None of his friends had noticed his strange action except for Halt, who was always on alert. Their eyes met and a message was conveyed. Even before the shaking began, Halt was already over by his side, holding him tightly and pulling him aside to prevent him from knocking the table over.

Will could hear the surprised gasps of his friends and worried questions. But it didn't matter, as Halt held him close, protecting him, his friends giving him reassuring glances as he groaned in pain, he felt oddly at ease.

And before the darkness dragged him under, he felt no fear for he knew he was in safe hands.

_END_

* * *

Phew! C:

Quite a long one-shot, but I'm glad I'm finished with it xD!

This idea came to me suddenly and it won't stop bothering me, so I had to put it down before I can continue on my other written work.

Will Will ever recover? (will will SNRK) anyways yea, that's up for you to dream up and me to leave it at as an open-ended problem :B

Originally, it was going to be a bit longer, with a section more and stuff, but then it was becoming quite a _long_ one-shot, so I had to shorten it a bit.

Right now, it feels like the whole story is all about Will having attacks OTL, which was not my original intention, butsecretlyIlikewritingabout hisattacks

Please drop a review or two to help me improve? C': thank you!


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